rcirc: Getting started with rcirc
1.2 Getting started with rcirc
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Use the command ‘M-x irc’ to connect using the defaults. 
Configuration, if you want to change the defaults.
Use ‘C-u M-x irc’ if you don’t want to use the defaults, e.g., if you
want to connect to a different network, or connect to the same network
using a different nick. This will prompt you for four things:
IRC Server
What server do you want to connect to? All the servers in a
particular network are equivalent. Some networks use a round-robin
system where a single server redirects new connections to a random
server in the network. ‘irc.freenode.net’ is such a server for the
Freenode network. Freenode provides the network “for the Free and
Open Source Software communities, for not-for-profit organizations
and for related communities and organizations.”
IRC Port
All network connections require a port. Just as web servers and
clients use port 80 per default, IRC uses port 6667 per default.
You rarely have to use a different port.
IRC Nick
Every users needs a handle on-line. You will automatically be
assigned a slightly different nick if your chosen nick is already
in use. If your ‘user-login-name’ is ‘alex’, and this nick is
already in use, you might for example get assigned the nick
‘alex`’.
IRC Channels
A space separated list of channels you want to join when
connecting. You don’t need to join any channels, if you just want
to have one-to-one conversations with friends on the same network.
If you’re new to the Freenode network, join ‘#emacs’, the channel
about all things Emacs, or join ‘#rcirc’, the channel about
‘rcirc’.
When you have answered these questions, ‘rcirc’ will create a server
buffer, which will be named something like ‘*irc.freenode.net*’, and a
channel buffer for each of the channels you wanted to join.
To talk in a channel, just type what you want to say in a channel
buffer, and press <RET>.
If you want to paste multiple lines, such as source code, you can use
‘C-c C-c’ to edit your message in a separate buffer. Use ‘C-c C-c’ to
finish editing. You still need to press <RET> to send it, though.
Generally, IRC users don’t like people pasting more than around four
lines of code, so use with care.
Once you are connected to multiple channels, or once you’ve turned
you attention to other buffers in Emacs, you probably want to be
notified of any activity in channels not currently visible. All you
need to do is switch channel tracking on using ‘M-x
rcirc-track-minor-mode’. To make this permanent, add the following to
your init file:
(rcirc-track-minor-mode 1)
Use ‘C-c C-<SPC>’ to switch to these buffers.
Info Catalog
rcirc: Internet Relay Chat
rcirc: Basics